


hey, this guy is pretty fun!

by mimetime



Category: The Lorax (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bonding, Comfort fic, Friendship, Magic, Original Character(s), Overcoming fears, POV First Person, Self-Insert, Teleportation, shifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27204892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimetime/pseuds/mimetime
Summary: a 100% self-indulgent fic in which i get to be friends with the once-ler>> i wake up in the once-ler's house and have no idea who he is or how i got therefinished oct 26
Relationships: The Once-ler (The Lorax) & Self-Insert
Kudos: 10





	hey, this guy is pretty fun!

**Author's Note:**

> based off my shifting script lol

The scent of pancakes... That's what greeted me as I blinked awake. Sunlight shone in through the windows, and the quiet sound of peacefully snoring animals filled the room. 

When I woke up in a bed I didn't recall falling asleep in, my first reaction was panic. Did I just get kidnapped?! 

But when I heard a gentle voice humming around the corner, my panic turned to confusion. I silently slipped out of the warm bed and creeped toward the kitchen. 

There, I saw a tall man at the stove. He had a pink apron tied tight around his slim waist, and was whistling away while he flipped two fresh pancakes onto a plate. 

"Hello..?" 

The man screamed girlishly, looking over at my shorter self with wide, blue eyes. He placed his hand on his heart and sighed. 

"Hey there, you scared the life out of me," he chuckled. 

He turned the stove off and grabbed the fresh plate of pancakes, slathering butter over each. 

"So, how was your rest?" 

"What am I doing here?" I asked, paying no attention to the Once-ler's question. 

"Oh, right! You must be confused. You see, my friend was practicing his magic when he casted you here on accident." 

"...Right. That's _totally_ true. Not something you just made up." 

A hurt look flashed on the Once-ler's face. He was telling the truth! 

"Fine, if you don't believe me"--he set down his spatula and went to the door--"LORAX! THEY'RE AWAKE!" 

He turned and gave me a smug look. In came a fuzzy, orange creature. It looked like no animal I'd ever seen. 

"Good morning, nice to meet ya!" 

My jaw dropped when the creature started speaking English. How is that possible?! 

"What... What _are_ you?" 

"Huh? I'm the Lorax! I speak for the trees. Cause _this_ doofus chopped one down," he said, gesturing toward the Once-ler, who chuckled bashfully. 

"The Lorax...?" 

"See? I told you he's magical." 

"Yes, but not only me," said the Lorax.

The Once-ler gave him a confused look. He didn't know of any other magical beings, beside himself and the Lorax. 

" _You_ wouldn't be able to be here if you weren't magical. Don't you know? You're a mystical creature!" 

"Whoa, what did you call me?" I accused. 

"You're magic!" the Lorax exclaimed with an excited grin. 

"These will get cold," the Once-ler warned, handing us both a plate of pancakes covered in syrup. 

"C'mon, let me explain it to you over breakfast," the Lorax offered, plopping down onto the bed. The Once-ler joined with his own plate, and I sat between the two. 

I cut into the fluffy pancake and took a bite. My face instantly lit up. They're delicious! The Once-ler munched away at his, too, while the Lorax began explaining. 

"Alright, so," he said through chewing, "when two magical sources, for example, you and me, get too near each other while also harboring magic energy, it can cause an error like teleportation... or shape modification." 

"Shape... Huh?" 

"Y'know, a change in your physical form." 

My eyed widened. I glanced down at my body and realized it wasn't at all like it usually is. 

"Do you have a mirror?!" 

The Once-ler perked up and left, quickly returning with a hand-held mirror. I looked into it, and my mouth gaped open at what I saw. 

This wasn't my face at all... I didn't even look to be his species! My skin was pure white, and my ears outstretched into pointy triangles like an elf's would. I had a round, blue nose and pink cheeks. Fluffy blue hair framed my face, and upon closer examination, I noticed my teeth were big and goofy in my mouth. 

I looked at myself from different angles and slowly felt a giddy feeling budding in my chest. I loved this form! It was everything I could ever dream of being. 

"What _am_ I?" 

"Seems to me you're a clown," said the Once-ler. 

"You're the Clown," said the Lorax. 

"The Clown?" 

"Yeah. You know, like... the Lorax,"-- he pointed to himself--"the Once-ler,"--he pointed to the man--"the Clown." He pointed to me. 

"Ohh, I get it," I said with a dopey grin, setting the mirror down behind me. I resumed on my pancakes as the Lorax elaborated. 

"So since I was trying to use magic while someone with magic energy was near, it switched you into this form. The Clown represents your innermost self. You following?" 

I nodded, and the Lorax continued, "I could sense something was wrong, so I went out and found you there, out cold. We brought you here and now, here you are." 

"Whoa..." I gawked. "But... But I had no idea I was even magical." 

"A lot of magical beings don't. The Once-ler had no idea _he_ was magical, either." 

"All three of us are magic?" 

"Yup!" confirmed the Once-ler. "There must've just been too much energy in one place. We'll have to be careful about that." 

"Will I be like this forever?" 

"Just the same as you can shift into this form, you can shift back out of it. But not to worry, this form is a part of you. It will always exist," the Lorax answered. 

"Sweet!" 

"Alright, now," said the Once-ler, collecting all our empty plates and setting them in the sink, "I've got to get to work." 

"No chopping," the Lorax reminded. 

"No chopping," the Once-ler reassured. "Clown, do you think you could help me out?" 

"Sure! I owe you for those amazing pancakes." 

I hopped up and followed the Once-ler out into the forest. The warm breeze brushed on by, rustling our hair. I stared in awe at the colorful landscape in front of me. 

"This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen." 

" _Right_? It is so pretty here. And you see those Truffula trees? Their tufts are softer than _anything_. Here, look."

He unravelled the Thneed around his neck and handed it to me, and I gasped in surprise at how comfy the material was. 

"It's softer than silk!" I exclaimed, and the Once-ler hummed proudly. 

"All we've gotta do now is collect tufts from the tops of the trees to make more." 

"How will we get that high up?" 

"I can lift you up, and you'll grab handfuls." 

"Oh..." I said, anxiously shuffling. 

"Something wrong?" 

"No! It's just... Well, I'm afraid of heights, you see..." 

"Oh, you are?" 

"Yeah. I can't even go up stairs without getting scared." 

"Hmm..." the Onceler pondered. "Maybe if we put a floating spell on you, you won't feel so afraid? That way, you can't fall!" 

I grinned and nodded. I'd never performed a spell before. 

"Alright, take my hands," the Once-ler instructed. We pressed our palms together. "Now, just relax and imagine you're standing on a cloud. It's solid, you won't fall through it." 

I closed my eyes and envisioned what the Once-ler said. After not much time, I felt myself lifting off the ground! I opened his eyes and saw that I was all the way at the top of the tree. 

Panicked, I jumped up and stumbled back onto air. I was walking on air! 

"See? It's impossible for you to fall." 

"This is so cool... I don't feel afraid!" 

I jumped around playfully, giggling at the feeling of being so high up but not afraid. In any other situation, I would be terrified, but I trusted that the Once-ler wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. 

"I'm going to start collecting from Truffula trees around here. Let's make a few piles assorted by color. Sound good?" 

"Works for me!" I said, beginning to pick at the silky Truffula tufts. They felt as if they would melt in my hands, just so soft. 

For hours, we gathered material with only the peaceful sounds of nature being our music. It was certainly the most fun I had ever had doing physical labor. Though, this was one of the easier forms of labor. 

By lunchtime, we had produced several fluffy mounds of fur-like fluff. The Once-ler reversed the spell, which floated us safely back down to the surface. I gave a joyful hop, glad to be on solid ground again. 

"Awesome job, Clown!" the Once-ler said, awarding me a high-five. 

"Couldn't have done it without you, Once-ler!" I had to jump up to reach the Once-ler's hand, but I got a good high-five out of it. 

"Let's get this inside, and I'll start knitting it into Thneeds. I'm sure the Lorax has made something for lunch by now, if you're hungry. I know I am!" 

So we went inside with the Truffula tufts and were greeted by the Lorax, who harbored peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the both of us. A bit of jelly around his lips suggested he had already eaten his share. 

"Thanks a bunch for the help," the Once-ler said as he seated himself on the bed, taking a bite out of his sandwich and then reaching for his knitting supplies. 

"It's no problem! You've been so nice to me, it's the least I can do," I said, joining the Once-ler on the bed. 

The Once-ler grabbed some pink material and began knitting it into a Thneed. I watched, impressed, while I ate my lunch. 

The Lorax didn't seem to be as much of a cook as the Once-ler, but I appreciated the meal nevertheless. 

"Do you know how to knit?" asked the Once-ler. 

"Not exactly. I know how to sew, though. Could you show me?" 

"Sure!"

He handed me his unfinished product. He handed me the tools and instructed me until I had made some headway. He ate his sandwich while he watched. 

"That's great for a beginner!" said the Once-ler, taking over so I could finish my lunch. He skillfully straightened out any mistakes and went on. 

When the Once-ler finished the Thneed, he held it out in front of him to get a good look. Perfect! This one will surely sell. 

"Alright. You can stay here if you want, or you can come with me into town to advertise." 

"Oh, that sounds fun! Can I do some tricks?" 

"Tricks?" 

"I'm the Clown, Once-ler. I know a few tricks," I said with a wink and a chuckle. 

"Alright! Hopefully it'll work better than my jingles have so far..." 

We headed into town, each of us wearing a Thneed around our necks, and the Once-ler stepped up onto the stand he usually advertised at. He pulled me up after him and grabbed his guitar. 

I used a Thneed to do juggling and hula-hoop tricks for the growing crowd while the Once-ler sang about the Thneed. 

"The Thneed is good, the Thneed is great!" we sang together, wide smiles on our faces. 

I told silly jokes and played little pranks on the crowd, confusing one customer with a disappearing trick. I appeared right back on the stage, balancing on the Once-ler's shoulders with the Thneed on display. 

" _That's_ why you need a Thneed!" said the Once-ler as our act came to an end. 

There was a mix of laughter and a few claps in the crowd, and several customers came up to the us to buy. But we only had two to sell... 

"We'll be back tomorrow with more!" promised the Once-ler with a wide grin. 

"Yes, many more!" I pitched in, though I felt unsure. There's no way we could make enough for everyone here... 

Once we were home, the Once-ler quickly found the Lorax, with me following closely behind. He waved the money in his hand extravagantly, and the Lorax chuckled at his bragging. 

"Well, would you look at that! I can't believe you sold that thing." 

"I told you it would be a success!" 

He turned to me. 

"Here," he said, handing me half of the money, "as a thanks for all the help." 

"Oh, thank you!" I said, pocketing the cash, "...But are you so sure we'll be able to make enough Thneeds by tomorrow?" 

"With our magic combined, it'll be easy!" said the Once-ler. 

"Ah-ah!" the Lorax interrupted, "No doing magic together, remember? Or the Clown might transport back to their original form." 

"Aw..." 

"Well... How about we just work at seperate parts of the forest?" I suggested. 

"Oh! Good idea. Would that work, Lorax?" 

"Hm... I don't see why not. Just make sure you get far enough from each other!" 

We both nodded in agreement before heading out. 

"Alright, I'll put the floating spell on you, and we can work at opposite corners of the forest." 

"Works for me!" 

So the Once-ler brought me outside. Before we got to work, he showed me a new spell, one that would double anything I would touch. 

He taught me how to do it, and wished me great luck on my very first spell. I'd have to do it alone, afterall, since we couldn't both use it in the same space. But if it worked, it would be like four people were working at once! 

Then he made himself and I float, and we went on our seperate ways. We got to work right away, each forming piles of Truffula tufts. 

Every time I grabbed a handful of Truffula fluff, it duplicated right in my grasp! I worked ultra fast, moving from tree to tree to gather material for the Thneeds. Everything was going great! 

Until... 

I stepped forward, and my foot went right through the air! My heart dropped and I stumbled back, falling onto nothing. 

I was still floating... but what was that? I cautiously felt around, and found that past a certain point, the air was no longer solid. 

I, as afraid of heights as I am, felt very anxious about this. I turned to go ask the Once-ler about it, worried I may fall. 

But I forgot to uncast my doubling spell! 

So once I was close enough for the Once-ler to see me, I completely disappeared! I awoke in my own bed again, returned back to my human form. 

And every day since that day, I've tried to return to the Truffula forest. Maybe one day, I'll succeed... 


End file.
